Scenic - Gems of the Danube.....

[franski]

Hi everyone -

 

I did get lots of feedback when I did my day-to-day posts with Viking earlier this year, so thought I would try something similar here. We have done this same itinerary with AMA - albeit a few years ago (2009) - so am interested to see how things have changed.

 

We did come in a day early, as we wanted to be able to get our sleep patterns normalized, and also to have dinner at Cafe Kor once again. We flew Lufthansa through Frankfurt - and had a 4 hr layover. This turned out to be a good thing, as we had lots of busing in Frankfurt. It was interesting when we arrived in Budapest.... We did clear customs in Frankfurt (although we usually don't do customs until our final stop) - and when we arrived in Budapest, were told that passport control would be as we excited the plane. We were stopped on the tarmac and bused to the terminal - and the customs guys did the passport check on the top platform of the metal steps. A quick nod and we were on our way. DH told me after (he was ahead of me) that he didn't even get his passport opened before they motioned him on!!!

 

We had a private transfer arranged for the airport - and had a night booked at Le Meridien. Yes, we could have stayed elsewhere for less - but we love the location, and the cost wasn't much more than others in the area.

 

Dinner at the Cafe Kor was great (as usual) and we took a long walk before going back and going to bed.

 

We had bought a Chimney Cake when we arrived yesterday, so we had this for breakfast with a cup of tea (me) and coffee (DH). The buffet breakfast at Le Meridien is expansive AND expensive - so we decided not to do that.

 

I had booked a private tour for my DH as part of his birthday present. We wanted to get out to Memento (i.e.: Statue) Park, and found a private tour that would take us there. The exciting part for my DH was that we would be picked up in a Trabant. I know, not exciting for most - but it was to a "car guy". Then, they told him he could drive. Talk about his dream tour!!!

 

Statue park was interesting, but not as large as I was expecting. It was interesting to have someone explain the reason for the lay out of the park, to describe where the statues were moved from, and what their nick-names are. We then went up to Gellert Hill to see Budapest from the that point - and it was amazing. We hadn't really cared to go before on previous visits.... and that was our loss. The day was sunny, the weather warm - and the view spectacular.

 

We asked our guide to drop us at the market, where I bought a bag full (literally) of paprika. I had taken orders before I left home... good thing I have available space and weight in my luggage!! We had lunch upstairs at the market in a space that is like a cafeteria. We like the food stalls on the sides, but there is limited seating so it was the cafeteria by default. I had goulash soup (good, but not spectacular) and DH had a home made sausage and potatoes (he said the sausage was great....). We bought strudel at the stall on the main floor... and it was warm and just delicious. We walked back along the shores of the Danube looking for the Ruby - figured if it was close enough we would just drag our suitcases along from Le Meridien. But - when we hadn't seen it by the time we were passing the Marriott (the host hotel for Scenic) we ducked in and spoke to the Scenic rep to ask for the docking spot. Good thing we stopped and asked - as we are now on the Diamond (the Ruby got caught up on the upper portion of the Danube during the times of the strikes and water level issues).

 

Anyway - we are now on board. I am typing this on the Mac attached to the TV. Internet good right now, but it is late, and most are in bed (I am thinking).

 

I will post again tomorrow. Alexandra Cruiser - have patience, I will post about the boat.... but need to head to bed now. And, this post is long enough!!

 

Fran

[Nixmuts]

I'm excited to be following you on your cruise Fran. We were with Scenic from Budapest to Amsterdam in June, and had a terrific time.

[BBWC]

We just got back from this cruise, previous section from Prague to Budapest. Very disappointed and would not consider Scenic again. Will make detailed comments in a few days after the jetlag wears off.

[alexandra cruiser]

thanks for all the details.Booked Luftansa and also picked the 4 hrs layover rather than 1 hr.because I know that airport is huge and would really have to rush(and be VERY lucky) to get early one.

We also plan on going to market for lunch,DH still wants goulash.Missed it last time and the strudel sounds great.

Will be interested in ship details too.

And also the negative comments from last poster.What happened?First river cruise or just with Scenic?

Why didnt you use Scenic transport,isnt it good for day before?or just not for different hotel?

Re,dining room noise.Have taken 10 river cruises and since room on small side and all eat at same time,louder than ocean cruises. Try to think of it as FESTIVE.;)

[Cary Cruiser]

Fran - So far it sounds great. Keep us posted. Love all the detail in your first post. And have a great time!

 

I've never heard of a Trabant, but if your DH got a charge out of it then OK.

 

Why was customs in Frankfurt? Wasn't your luggage checked all the through to BUD?

[nana541]

Can't wait to hear more.... Thanks for taking us along !

[Brisbanelionsfan]

Hi Fran,

Love reading your post, reminds me of our wonderful cruise a couple of weeks ago.

As I said previously our cruise with Scenic was the best.

Looking forward to more Fran.

 

Cheers Sue

[Ship's Wake]

Fran - So far it sounds great. Keep us posted. Love all the detail in your first post. And have a great time!

 

I've never heard of a Trabant, but if your DH got a charge out of it then OK.

 

Why was customs in Frankfurt? Wasn't your luggage checked all the through to BUD?

 

 

Trabant - made in the DDR and exported throughout the Soviet bloc.

[Cary Cruiser]

 

Trabant - made in the DDR and exported throughout the Soviet bloc.

 

I had a feeling it was a car produced during the Communist era. Please do not take offense by this, but if that is what got him all worked up then it does not seem to take much to get your DH excited.

 

Have a great time and stay out of those Trabants - they don't look safe.

[franski]

Hi all -

 

Sorry for the delay, but the internet was down last evening - so couldn't post. Tried both on the TV/Mac and my tablet without success.

 

I know that Alexandra Cruiser has been waiting patiently for any info about the boat - so will post that here. If the internet is still behaving, I will post about our 1st day on board.

 

As many of you know, we book Aquarium Class. We are in Cabin 114 ---> one door further down the hall and we would be sleeping in the engine room. No issues with this placement. It is quiet - and we can make more noise as we only have neighbours on one side of us....:D More info NOT forthcoming there...

 

We were almost the 1st to board. We took a taxi from our hotel rather than moving to the host hotel and letting them shuttle us over. Someone asked about the transfers - and no, they aren't included when you arrive/depart outside of the start/end of the cruise. Not a big deal for us. Arriving on our own meant we beat the rush!!!

 

We were welcomed aboard with a cool towel, and then asked to sit in the lounge for a cool drink until they were ready to check us in. Cool drink (peach juice and grenadine) was a lovely way to refresh --> DH had 2!! Check in was quick - suitcases already in the cabin when we arrived (and we were less than 10 minutes before we were "invited" to register. Passports held for 24 hours then returned.

 

The cabins aren't huge - but are more than adequate. As mentioned above, we are in Aquarium Class, so have a window - not a balcony. Window is quite large - and has a sill that will be great for drying any hand washing (although there is a retractable clothes line in the shower). Not much space beside the bed - just enough room for a small bedside table. Both sides have lamps.

 

There are 3 closet doors. #1 (closest to the cabin door)has 2 shelves (each with a blanket) and a rod, # 2 has 3 small drawers and the mini-fridge, and # 3 has a rod and the safe. There is a long (but shallow) self that runs across the closet behind doors #2 & 3. There are lots of hangers, but no skirt hangers. There is also an umbrella, and 2 sets of walking sticks behind door #1. Suitcases fit nicely under the bed. I was thinking (as I was unpacking) that there wasn't enough space, but I moved both blankets to one shelf and we have more than enough space now. But - that will depend on how many clothes your bring....:eek:

 

Bathroom has an opening door (really liked the slider on Viking, I must admit...) with well appointed fixtures. There is a large vessel sink, a wonderful multi-jetted shower and an actual cabinet. Many river boats have open shelves below the sink.

 

Electrical outlets are a bit odd. There is actually one in the bathroom - and every other one is in use. There are NO 110 outlets. Wait... forgot about the 2 "hidden" ones in the cubby below the mirror. These are AUS outlets (the others are standard European) - and I do have an "all in one" adapter so was excited - but the space is too small for my all-in-one. If I had brought my other AUS adapter it would have fit in there. So, I unplug my bedside lamp and use that one for charging my phone and tablet. Not ideal, but we are coping.

 

There is a large bottle of still and one of sparkling water in the cabin - and these are replenished when empty. The mini bar has a beer, 4 small bottles of liquor, a small bottle of red & white wine, some pop and juice - and Pringles chips and a chocolate bar. The Mini Bar list just has a statement to contact the front desk to customize the minibar with our preferred selection from the list. We haven't used anything, as the bar is so accessible.

 

Our cabin steward in amazing. We have got towel animals on 2 occasions, and we do get chocolates on our pillows.

 

I am not going to spend time on the dining room right now --> I want to see how things work out over this week. Suffice it to say that the service isn't stellar, although people are very pleasant. Meals - while small in portion - are well displayed and certainly edible. I have made some use of the Cafe area in the lounge - and their ice cream (in sugar cones...) is great.

 

The lounge is actually pretty good - again will go into more detail later. They have 3 screens in there, so everyone can see a screen during the port talks.

 

Must be off... here's hoping that this will post!!!

 

Fran

[franski]

Success with the last post... so will keep going. First will respond to some questions/comments.

 

Not sure why we cleared customs in Frankfurt - have never done that before. But we had to go to Terminal A and we had to clear customs. Yes - our luggage was checked through, and did arrive with us.

 

Re: the Trabant.... Yes, Cary Cruiser - when is comes to old cars, it doesn't take much to get my husband excited. He owns a '56 Beetle, and our son has a '69 Beetle (I have an '80 MG Midget) so cars and car parts are big to him. That and 1:43 scale models - so are heading back to some toy stores while we are here. He actually bought some type of relay for his VW from some guy in Budapest - and the guy actually was waiting at our hotel to deliver it!!!

 

Back to the cruise....

 

We had to pre-choose our excursions for Budapest and in Vienna. We chose to visit the Skanzen Open Air Museum at Szentendre as we have already had 2 city tours, and have seen the Hospital in the Rock. The 4th option was a visit to the Szechenyi Baths... and I don't bathe in public.... lol.... I was speaking to someone who did the baths, and they had been to the Gellert Baths on their own a day or two before - and they said this one was better. Our tour was great.... We travelled by Minivan out to Szentendre (there were only 6 of us on our tour) - and we didn't need our audio boxes. The Skanzen is a large open air museum (think Kizhi Island for those who have been to Russia, or Black Creek Pioneer Village for those in Toronto/GTA) where they have brought in a number of houses/buildings so that the history of the country is not lost. They have a small railway to take you out to the furthest reaches of the park - included in the admission price. Lots of outdoor walking - but the weather was beautiful. Not impressed with the wasp sting I got :eek: but I am not highly allergic to alcohol hand cleaner at the time and an anti-histamine back on the boat took care of it. There are also animals (raka sheep, and some different pigs, lots of cats and a Puli dog) around a barn area. Quite a nice excursion. What is really sad is that this is the last year that Scenic will offer this. It is not well subscribed - perhaps because most opt to do a city tour if they haven't been in Budapest before - so they will not be offering this tour after this year. So glad we chose to go....

 

We returned to the boat for lunch and then some free time after lunch. We were docked between the Chain and Margrit bridges - so walking back into Buda was a bit of a hike. It was pretty easy to get up to the Castle district, so we did that. We did see the changing of the guards (1st time I have seen that, although I have been to the Castle district 3 times before....). Lots of construction by the Fisherman's Bastion - hopefully it will be completed by the end of the year.

 

Last night was the Captain's Dinner. Food was pretty good - and our waiter was not bad. Still trying to scout out the best ones. Lots of free slowing wine - and the bar was hopping after dinner.

 

Our lounge entertainment is Randy. DH often describes the entertainer as the "Local Lounge Lizard" (my apologies to anyone who is an entertainer here...) and Randy fits the bill. He has an electronic keyboard, and can play the guitar with it. Music from the 70's dominates the evening. His playing skills are not bad - but his voice is less competent. (Trying to be sensitive here.... never sure who reads these boards!!!) But this didn't stop the party last evening.

 

We have a couple of groups on board, and there was much dancing and singing last evening. A good time was being had by many, and it was still going on when we left to take a walk on the upper deck at 11 pm. Definitely much livelier than we have experienced before....

 

Anyway - another long post.... just entered a lock - hope this one will post as well!!!

 

Fran

[franski]

Posted the last post without re-reading, as I was worried that the lock would affect the internet... (it usually does...) So - some obvious errors in spelling.

 

re: wasp sting - not allergic "so" alcohol (not "to" alcohol).....

 

And we had free "flowing" wine (not free "slowing).

 

Stay tuned!!!

 

Fran

[H2Otstr]

Have a great trip, Fran. Always look forward to reading your posts.

 

Sharon

[alexandra cruiser]

really look forward to your posts.Esp.after reading a negative review that was just posted.Hope the dining room improves in both service and food quality.

That excursions sounds great,too bad it won t be available next June.

Odd about airport,we went thru last yr.and they just checked our passports and tickets to get to next terminal.Not customs till final destination when we picked up our luggage.That would really make for a long transfer,whew.

Now if you can sneak into a jr.suite,ahahah...booked that. Wonder how the balcony and removable cover work.??:)

[euro cruiser]

Perhaps the OP is confusing the terminology? You do not go through customs at a transfer point; coming from the US or Canada to Frankfurt you go through passport control. Customs happens when you have your luggage at your final destination, but often travelers don't even realize they've passed it because it's generally completely passive.

 

Flights from the US and Canada usually arrive into one of the "Z" gates at Frankfurt, because that's where passport control is located. If a "Z" gate isn't available they will land elsewhere and bus you to the "Z" area, which is the top (3rd) floor of one of the "arms" of Terminal 1. Connecting flights within the Schengen zone can leave from any of the T1 gates, which cover a huge area so it's a good idea to leave yourself plenty of time between flights. There's no shortage of things to entertain you in the airport during the wait, including a casino.

[Nixmuts]

Thanks for the picture of the Trabant. I took a pic of one in Budapest and had no idea what it was when we got home!

[BBWC]

Franski -

 

for best service, try the furthest round table for 8 from the entrance on the left hand side (almost at the end). Our group of 8 always tried to sit there for lunch and dinner and had the best waiters. Don't know if they switch positions between cruises, though.

[franski]

Perhaps the OP is confusing the terminology? You do not go through customs at a transfer point; coming from the US or Canada to Frankfurt you go through passport control. Customs happens when you have your luggage at your final destination, but often travelers don't even realize they've passed it because it's generally completely passive.

 

Perhaps I am confusing things - but this is how is played out.

 

Came into the main terminal (arrived at a terminal, had to LEAVE that terminal for a bus to the main terminal....) but instead of going through passport control as we have done every time we have traveled through Frankfurt (and we have transferred through there a lot...) we had to go to a booth with a Police Officer (yes, the badge indicated he was police....),and answer questions about where our final destination was, how long we were staying etc. He then stamped our passport and we were on our way.

 

In Budapest, when we exited the plane, the customs officer was standing on the top platform of the steps (we exited on the tarmac). As long as you waived your passport at him, you were free to go. When we got to the terminal, we just went right to the baggage carousel.

 

No idea why it happened this way... but it did. So - I still feel I cleared customs in Frankfurt.

 

Fran

[franski]

Hi everyone -

 

I know I am a couple of days behind - but the internet has been quite spotty on the TV, and my tablet is challenging to post with if I want to type quickly. I will try to catch up now as we are on our way to Melk.

 

Friday we cruised during the day. It was nice to have a quiet day... leisurely breakfast, then took a walk on the "track" on the sun deck. Absolutely beautiful day - sunny, warm.... There are lots of chairs and awnings/umbrellas on the deck - as well as space in front of Portobello's. Breakfast and lunch were both buffets. The wait staff seems quite challenged when it comes to clearing your plates after you are done a course. They are pleasant, just not very quick. The wine and beer, however, is quite quickly offered and topped up.

 

Dinner was early, and also a buffet as we were scheduled to go to the Palais Lichtenstein for a concert. We did have traditional food (schnitzel, cabbage, potatoes etc) but one of our group ordered the chicken (substitute menu) as he didn't fancy what was on the buffet. We left for the concert at 7 pm.

 

Now, DH is NOT a fan of classical music nor opera, so he wasn't sure that he wanted to go. It is not my favourite either but figured when in Rome (or, in this case, Vienna) .... The concert was amazing. A small 10 piece orchestra, with 2 soloists and a pair of dancers who danced a specially choreographed dance to the Blue Danube Waltz. The concert is just over an hour in length - and it was over much too soon. We returned back to the ship for Goulash Soup and bread (and beverages....) The goulash soup was less greasy than what we had in Budapest - but also had less meat and potatoes.

 

I had to sit up for a while after eating.... so it didn't seem odd to stay in the lounge and partake of beverages and conversation until after 11. We closed the bar....

 

Anyway - will continue with a post on Vienna.

 

Fran

[franski]

Today we chose the trip to Bratislava as our choice. We have been to Vienna before, so didn't want to do the city tour again. We have also been to the Schoenbrun Palace before - so that was also off the list. Although this was a 2nd trip to Bratislava, it was DH's choice as his grandparents were Slovak.

 

The trip to Bratislava takes about an hour. They stopped at a rest stop so people could use the washrooms, which added about 15 min to the transit time. Our guide was Viennese - and may have been great for a tour of Vienna - but not so good for a tour of Bratislava. She talked about Vienna for at least 40 minutes of the trip - and only started to talk about Bratislava after we entered Slovakia - and then only to compare it to Vienna!! We were dropped off close to the bridge with the "flying saucer" on it - and the pick up point was also there.

 

Originally we planned to do Bratislava on our own - and then thought we might do the walking tour with the guide to see if she had any other insights to offer. However, we separated from the group when we realized that her knowledge base was quite firmly stuck in Vienna. We had a great time.

 

We had a bout 2 1/2 hours there. We wandered through the main squares, and a little off the beaten track. Bought some souvenirs (a hand made table runner - and a decorated egg --> decorated on a real egg shell....), and went back for ice cream at a place that was pointed out last time we were there. We sat on a bench in the sun, and then wandered along the shores of the Danube. All in all, a relaxing way to spend the morning.

 

We returned to the ship for lunch - and ordered a cheeseburger off the menu. It was quite good!!! It came with fries and cole slaw, and was certainly large enough to fill me. After lunch we took a shuttle bus back into the down town area and walked around. The main pedestrian areas are now very touristy - and VERY crowded. The kids here do not return to University until the end of September, so it still seems very much "summer like" here right now. We walked around for about an hour, and then took the bus back. Again, we had taken a tour before - so we didn't have much we wanted to see (or could see given the time we had available to us). Scenic did offer a number of transfers in and out of the city centre - so you could come and go as you pleased. The last bus back was at 5:30 - but you could always take the metro or a taxi back if you missed that bus.

 

Dinner was NOT a buffet last evening.... I had something called a "tortilla" but is was more like a scalloped potato square.... very good actually. Then had the garlic soup, the calamari and a hazelnut ice cream with rum sauce. When the desserts arrived, we discovered that one dessert was actually a creme brûlée - although it had a different name. I asked for one of those (AFTER I had finished my ice cream of course....) and they did bring me one, and one for another person at our table.

 

After dinner there was a dining and dancing in the lounge... closed the lounge again (11:30 this time...)

 

Next post will be Durnstein and Melk.

 

Fran

[Osnab]

 

I've never heard of a Trabant, but if your DH got a charge out of it then OK.

 

Why was customs in Frankfurt? Wasn't your luggage checked all the through to BUD?

 

Trabant is an Eastern European car. Very tiny, worth about $1000 total, if that. Well, in 1991 when I was in one, they were worth $250.00 - literally. the seat belts are extremely short and have no ability to increase in length.

 

There's a silly German movie called "Manta, Manta" which is about Trabbis racing.

 

I haven't heard of a Trabbant in years!

[Osnab]

Flights from the US and Canada usually arrive into one of the "Z" gates at Frankfurt, because that's where passport control is located. If a "Z" gate isn't available they will land elsewhere and bus you to the "Z" area, which is the top (3rd) floor of one of the "arms" of Terminal 1. Connecting flights within the Schengen zone can leave from any of the T1 gates, which cover a huge area so it's a good idea to leave yourself plenty of time between flights. There's no shortage of things to entertain you in the airport during the wait, including a casino.

 

Euro cruiser- not trying to get too far off topic from Fran's posts, but how much time would you recommend for changing plans in Frankfurt? I'm going from Bucharest - Frankfurt- Chicago and have only 1 hr, 45 mins. I don't always trust what the airlines say is enough time.

Felicia

[Cary Cruiser]

Viking is giving us an hour and fifteen minutes in Frankfurt to transfer from our United flight from Newark to our Lufthansa flight to Prague - I know we will have to hustle.

[Osnab]

Viking is giving us an hour and fifteen minutes in Frankfurt to transfer from our United flight from Newark to our Lufthansa flight to Prague - I know we will have to hustle.

 

I feel more comfortable with my connection in Brussels on the first day, because it's 2 hours and I imagine Brussels to be a smaller airport. (Not sure if that's correct.) I don't want to miss my connection home, but if I had to choose one to miss, it'd be the one on the return! :)

Felicia

[keenmolly]

Viking is giving us an hour and fifteen minutes in Frankfurt to transfer from our United flight from Newark to our Lufthansa flight to Prague - I know we will have to hustle.

 

When doing our cruise last year starting in Budapest we travelled from Australia via Singapore then on to Frankfurt. Our TA only gave us 1.25 hour transfer in Frankfurt and guess what? Flight was late so missed ongoing flight to Budapest just by seconds. We then had to be flown to Dusseldorf along with a 6 hour wait till Lufthansa could get us on a flight to Budapest. What a long trip something like 40 hours altogether. If doing the same again I would always recommend a longer stay over. Saves all the hustles and worries. Good luck with your cruising. Other than this problem our river cruise with Avalon was perfect.